The
director general of Department of Livestock Service, Dr Duto Sainey Fofana, has
outlined the role the livestock sector play in the country’s economic development
in general and food production in particular.
He
said the subsector accounts for about 30 per cent of the agricultural GDP and
about 10 per cent of the National Gross Domestic Product.
Mr
Fofana was speaking during the inaugural of the National Advisory Committee on
the management of animal genetic resources, held at the Paradise Suite Hotel.
However,
he added, the sector was handicapped by inadequate qualified personnel, animal
nutrition, veterinarian specialists, animal production specialists and livestock
statisticians.
He
added that shortage of water and feed during the dry season due to persistent
bushfires and lack of enforcement of legislation on the conservation of the
environment was another problem that should be addressed.
He
said there was the need to improve on both the quantity and quality of locally
produced poultry feed to meet the growing demand of the poultry subsector.
Despite
these challenges, Mr Fofana said, there are opportunities for the sector to
expand, as increasing in urban population and hotel industry with high
purchasing power.
He
said the existence of modern facilities such as hatcheries and poultry
processing facilities, was also an opportunities for expansion of the poultry
subsector.
He
said a national advisory committee being inaugurated was formed since 28
October 2016, during the inauguration meeting of the Animal Resources Data
Management platform.
He
thanked AU-IBAR for the support it rendered to the livestock sector.
